Bicycle ride planned to honor cyclists killed on the road

A Sedalia cyclists, who was seriously hurt after he was struck by a vehicle, is organizing a ride here as part of a nationwide effort to honor those killed on their bikes.

Greg Moore, a member of the Pearl River Bicycle Club, is putting together a Ride of Silence at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Katy Trail on Clarendon Road.

He said the ride is part of a worldwide effort in honor of bicyclists killed on the country’s roads and to raise awareness of cycling safety. Moore said cyclists and motorists need to “share the road,” and be respectful of each other.

“Everyone needs to keep an eye out for cyclists,” he said. “Everybody has a right to be on the road.”

The Ride of Silence is no faster than 12 mph, during which cyclists remain silent. It started in Dallas in 2003, after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was killed by a mirror on a passing bus. The Web site, www.rideofsilence.org, lists names of cyclists killed on the road.

Moore was seriously injured in 2000 when he was struck by a drunken driver while riding his bicycle.

“I’m very lucky and very blessed I’m not one of those people on that Web page in memoriam,” he said.

According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, 2 percent of motor vehicle-related fatalities are cyclists although bike trips “account for less than 1 percent of all trips in the U.S. In 2006, more than 44,000 bicyclists in the U.S. were injured in traffic crashes and 773 bicyclists died as a result of bicycle-related injuries.”

Travis DeMoss, president of the Pearl River Bicycle Club, said “anytime you can raise awareness about sharing the road, everyone kind of wins in that situation.”

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity, not only for our bicycle club, but for the city of Sedalia,” he said.

Moore said he expects the six- to eight-mile route to go from the trailhead to West 16th Street; north on Limit Avenue to Broadway Boulevard, east to downtown and the Pettis County Courthouse; west on Third Street to Grand Avenue; south to Clinton Road; west on 32nd Street to Clarendon Road.

Anyone on two wheels can participate in the ride, as long as they wear a helmet, Moore said.

The event is held in May, which is National Bike Month.